Elvis Presley vs. Ricky Nelson (Early Rock n' Roll)

Elvis Presley

He was born on January 8, 1935 to poor parents. At the age of ten, his mother brought him a birthday present: his first guitar. Also at this age, he entered a singing contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. He won second place, a $5 prize and a free ticket to all the rides. Some years later, young Elvis started hanging around what was called the black section of the town, where he could hear 'black music'. Another of his music influences was gospel.

His singing career actually began at age 18. He got a record at Sun in the summer of 1954. One of the first singles is 'That's All Right'. Colonel Tom Parker became his manager and promoter and negotiated Elvis’s first contract with RCA. Two days after his twenty-first birthday, Elvis has his first recording session for RCA, held at their studio in Nashville. 'Heartbreak Hotel' is one of songs recorded during this session. Elvis also soon appeared in movies, recorded more music and toured with his band.

On March 24, 1958, Elvis Presley was inducted into the U.S. Army at the Memphis Draft Board and is assigned serial number 53310761. On August 1958, Elvis's mother died, leaving him devastated. Elvis was later stationed in Bad Nauheim, Germany. In Germany, he met 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, who would become his wife later.

In late March 1960, he recorded his first post-army album 'Elvis is Back!'. He also starred in one motion picture after another, most of which were forgettable. Non-movie related recordings also continued through this period.

In late June, Elvis taped his first television special called "The '68 Comeback Special". From July to August in 1969, Elvis was booked for a four-week, fifty-seven show engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, which had just been built and had the largest showroom in the city. In 1970, he was back to performing live.

On January 16, 1971, he was named one of the ten outstanding young man of the nation.On January 1973, Elvis made television history with his Via Satellite special "Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii". Until his sudden shocking death in August 16, 1977, he continued to tour and make music.

Here are the lyrics to one of his songs: Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear

Baby let me be,
your lovin' Teddy Bear
Put a chain around my neck,
and lead me anywhere
Oh let me be
Your teddy bear.
I don't wanna be a tiger
Cause tigers play too rough
I don't wanna be a lion
'Cause lions ain't the kindyou love enough.
Just wanna be,
your Teddy Bear
Put a chain around my neck
and lead me anywhere
Oh let me be
Your teddy bear.

I just love the beat and rhythm of this song. This is one of my favorite songs of Elvis. I don't really know why I like it...I'm definitely not the type of girl who wants her man to be a teddy bear or anything like it. You may feel that you are not the type of woman he's singing about, but still really really love his songs anyway. That's one of Elvis's special qualities, I think. He's the only artist who has this effect on me. Usually, if I can't connect with the type of thing an artist is singing, I usually wouldn't listen to any more of their songs. But with Elvis, I kept buying on album after album of his just to listen to him sing about stuff I don't necessarily agree with. Although, he didn’t really write any of his songs.

Ricky Nelson

He was born on May 8, 1940. Along with his father, mother, and elder brother, he starred in the long-running radio and television series “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” from 1944 to 1966. Ozzie and Harriet were his parents. So, unlike Elvis, who had a poor childhood and had to struggle for fame, Ricky Nelson grew up in the public eye.
He started his Rock n’ Roll music career in 1957. He actually recorded his first single “I’m Walkin’” to impress his date, who was an Elvis fan. The song was a hit and reached #4 on the charts. From 1957 to 1962, Nelson had 30 top 40 hits, which was more than any other artist at the time, except Elvis. Many of Nelson's early records were double hits with both the A side and the B side hitting the billboard charts. And like Elvis, he also appeared in some films.

1964's "For You" was his last top 40 hit until 1970. This was when he recorded Bob Dylan’s "She Belongs To Me" with the Stone Canyon Band. In 1972, he hit the top 40 one last time with a song called “Garden Party”. He wrote this song in disgust after a Madison Square Garden audience booed him when he tried playing new songs instead of just his old hits from the 1950s and 1960s.

By the late 70s, his life was a mess. Apart from a terrible divorce, he wasn’t making any records. And the few times he played live were only in small insignificant places. However, in 1985, he achieved major success when he joined a nostalgia rock tour of England. This tour brought some interest back in Nelson. He tried to reproduce that effect in the United States and began a tour of the South. While on that tour, he died in a plane crash in De Kalb, Texas in 1985. He was on his way to a concert in Dallas. The last song he sang on stage before his death was Buddy Holly’s “Rave On”.

Now the lyrics of my favorite song of his:

I'm walking, yes indeed I'm talking
For you and me and I'm hoping
That you'll come back to me
I'm lonely as I can be
And I've waited for your company
And I'm hoping that you'll come back to me
Whatcha gonna do when the well runs dry
You gonna run away and hide
I'm gonna run right by your side
For you, pretty baby, I'd even die
I'm walking, yes indeed I'm talking
For you and me and I'm hoping
That you'll come back to me
I'm walking, yes indeed I'm talking
For you and me and I'm hoping
That you'll come back to me
I'm lonely as I can be
And I've waited for your company
And I'm hoping that you'll come back to me
Whatcha gonna do when the well runs dry
You gonna run away and hide
I'm gonna run right by your side
For you, pretty baby, I'd even die
I'm walking, yes indeed I'm talking
For you and me and I'm hoping
That you'll come back to me

This is my favorite Ricky Nelson song. I like the meaning of this song. I can also feel what he’s singing. It is a song about a man who still haven’t given up hope. So, he would keep on walking for her. Yeah, this is certainly a great song. And l also love the rhythm.

Their contributions to the Rock Scene

Elvis was one of the first and greatest rock artists. He was the King of Rock n’ Roll. Before anybody did anything, Elvis did everything! He set a standard for the later Rock artists to live up to.

Ricky Nelson’s contribution to the Rock Scene, at first glance, might not seem as obvious as Elvis’s. But however, if one ponders deeper into the subject, it could be determined that Ricky was more important than Elvis. Let’s face it, when Elvis first came out with his music, people were shocked by it. They called it “Devil’s music” and were outraged by Elvis’s style. But however, when Ricky Nelson started playing Rock n’ Roll, it became more acceptable. After all, he was sweet little Ricky everyone watched growing up in “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet”. How could his music be evil? So they thought if Ricky was playing it, then it must be all right.

Connections to the Blue Scene

Elvis was largely connected to the Blue Scene. He was a bluesman before he turned to Rock n’ Roll. He grew up in the place of the blues. He was very much influenced by the Memphis Blues music. As a young boy, he hung around in the black section of the town to hear bluesman like Furry Lewis and B.B. King perform.

Ricky Nelson, I’m not so sure about. He did record some songs called “Boppin’ The Blues” and “Milk Cow Blues”. But do they count?

Which Artist do I prefer?

I would have to go with Elvis Presley. I’ve been listening to his songs since I was a little girl. Hearing his voice and seeing him perform could always lift my spirits no matter how down I may be feeling. I have a habit of collecting his albums, performances, and books written about him. My favorite book about him is ‘Elvis and Me’, written by his ex-wife Priscilla Presley. By the way, my all-time favorite song of his is called ‘Always on my Mind’. He seemed to be singing to his ex-wife, right? I thought their love story was a beautiful but heartbreaking one when I read Priscilla’s book. Right now, I’m trying to find one of his songs called ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You’. He was supposed to have looked at his newly-separated wife Priscilla during one of his performance and said, ‘This one is for you’ and started singing that one. How cute is that?

However, what I do not collect are his movies. Whenever I see his movies, I could see why he hated them so much. He never was a serious actor. Can you believe he was even made to sing ‘Old MacDonald’ in one of his movies? Too bad, I’m sure he would have been brilliant if only his manager Colonel Parker had given him a chance.

The Gospel

David Taylor was studying to become a minister in his father’s church. His father was Bishop Frank Taylor. All of a sudden, David’s mother died. David became bitter about the fact that his father wasn’t there at her side. He angrily accused his father of caring more about the church than his mother. He declared that he hated his father and walked out.

Fifteen years later, David was a really successful R&B singer. However, one day he got news that his father was seriously ill. He went back home and found the old church in disorder. He got involved in the church’s activities again. He offered to give concerts in order to help out with the funding.

Then his father died, and David’s former best friend, Frank, took his place. David found out that he had an inflated ego and seemed more interested in enhancing his image than the actual well-being of the church. David tried to find a way to save the church from Frank’s clutches.

Meanwhile, he was also under pressure from his manager to return to work. And he also fell in love with Rain, a member of the church. Finally, he realized that God meant him to learn a lesson from all this, vowed to never run away anymore, and returned to the church.

All ended well, because Frank, after pondering on his actions after rash comments from other church folks, learned about his own shortcomings. He changed for the better. At the ending scene of the movie, he told the people, “Your pastor is not perfect. Nobody is perfect. No church is perfect. And if there is anything as a perfect church, it stopped being perfect when you and I walked into it. Only God is perfect. God is great.”

Characteristics

Religion

Religion is the center of their lives. They’re sure God is the driving force behind their actions. In this movie, they all stress about ‘doing God’s work’. And all the time throughout the movie, the phrase ‘God is Great’ could be heard. They all want the best for their church because it is their life.

Music

Now here are some musical people. This movie shows more scenes of people singing than talking. This is a real spiritual thing for them. Gospel music is always sung at the church to reach out to God. It’s like music runs in their blood. David, even when he turned his back on the church, couldn’t stay away from music. He became a hot R n’ B singer.

Family

Family is also very important. David was angry with his father when he thought he cared more about others and the church than he did his family. Yes, David was studying to be a minister of the church but he thought family was more important than the church. And although he then burst out that he hated his father, he returned to the church when he heard about his father’s illness.

My Opinion

Although I could not really connect with the characters in this movie, it was quite nice to watch. It was easy to understand and everything fell into place smoothly. And the music was really good.

Trading Places

I thought this story really resembles my Industrial Revolution movie ‘Million Pound Note’. But this one is way funnier and cooler, I think. I love this movie! But this was obviously made quite a while ago, because Jamie Lee Curtis looked really beautiful here. So here’s how it went.

Louis Winthorpe III was a really respected senior employee of Duke& Duke, which was owned by the two broker brothers, Randolph and Mortimer Duke. Winthorpe managed their investment bank. He had a huge mansion, a butler, and on top of that he was engaged to marry the Dukes’ grand-niece, Penelope.

Then, there was Billie Ray Valentine, a black beggar/con artist from the ghetto, who got arrested after the police busted his act as a Vietnam War cripple. Randolph remarked that Valentine turned to a life of crime because of the environment he was raised in. Mortimer argued by saying he would have turned out the same in whatever environment he grew up in because he was a ‘negro’. So, Randolph made a bet that even their respected employee Winthorpe, if his money, job, possessions, and fiancé were all taken away from him, would also turn to crime. And that if Valentine were put in his place, he would turn out to be an honest and responsible citizen. Mortimer accepted this bet.

And so they bailed Valentine out of prison, took him to Winthorpe’s fancy house, and told him it was all his. Valentine wasn’t quite able to believe his luck. Meanwhile, Winthorpe was humiliated after being falsely accused of theft and drug-dealing (a ploy of the Dukes). He was fired from his job, stripped of his money, and barred from his own home. So, he became a destitute. But he was taken in by a good-hearted prostitute named Orphelia.

During this time, Valentine was fitting in nicely to the upper class. Like Randolph predicted, he was behaving like a responsible and honest citizen. He even proved to be a genius at their business. People were now eager for whatever advice he had to give them. Mortimer was not at all pleased with the outcome.

Winthorpe was not at all fitting in nicely like Valentine. Again, like Randolph predicted, he resorted to crime, showing up at the Dukes’ Christmas party with a loaded gun. Now, it was clear that Randolph had won his bet.

Valentine happened to overhear a private conversation between the Duke Brothers. Now that Randolph had won the wager, which was (gasp) one dollar, they were wondering what move they should take next. Mortimer wasn’t sure if he wanted Winthorpe back, but both of them were sure they didn’t want a ‘nigger’ running their family business.

After hearing the brothers’ intentions of throwing him back to the streets, Valentine seek out Winthorpe and informed him about the Dukes’ “scientific experiment”. Winthorpe was so incensed that he started loading his rifles to murder them. But Valentine had a better idea: to make rich people miserable was to make them poor. So the two of them teamed up to get their revenge on the Dukes. They found out that the Dukes had been hiring a man called Clarence Beeks in order to corner the entire frozen orange juice market. Valentine, under the pretense as Beeks, gave them false information on the crop report. This made the Dukes misplay the market and bankrupt themselves, while Valentine and Winthorpe used the correct information and got rich.

Characteristics

Racism

You definitely can witness some traces of racism in here. Especially from the upper class. For instance, Mortimer Duke was convinced that Valentine was a criminal just because he was a ‘negro’. And then, their racist views became even more prominent when Mortimer said ‘I do not want a nigger running the family business!’ and Randolph replied ‘Neither do I.’ They really wasn’t crazy about getting Winthorpe back for the job after he acted like a menace waving his gun about at their party. But they definitely could not stand the idea of a black person taking over. Therefore, they chose to bring back Winthorpe, who in their minds was a criminal. In their thinking, a criminal was better than a black person.

Greed

The greediness of the upper society can also be seen. The Duke brothers were already billionaires. But they still tried to get inside information on the crop report. And they committed everything they had into it. In fact, being greedy, at the time, was probably viewed as a good thing. Mortimer said his late mother was complimenting him when she told him that he was greedy.

Superiority

Even Winthorpe, before his life turned upside down, was unbelievably snobbish. He ordered to have Valentine arrested, even though he did nothing to him. All he did was knock Winthorpe down accidentally, and Winthorpe was convinced it was an assault. And of course, the Duke brothers ruled in this case. They were so superior that they felt they could use anyone as guinea pigs in their ‘experiment’ just for a little amusement. And all for their bet concerning 1 dollar, they felt they could control anyone’s lives at their will.

King Kong- The New Version (Great Depression)

Finally, the remake of the classic King Kong is here! This three-hour-long movie, though not necessarily better than the original, is definitely something.

Actress Ann Darrow found herself unemployed when the local theatre she worked in was closed during the great depression era. She could hope to survive by dancing at a local show. At about the same time, film director Carl Denham was also having problems of his own: his studio bosses strongly disapproved of the plans for his latest film. They flatly refused to fund it. This did nothing to halt the overly-ambitious Denham. He stole the film and immediately made the arrangements to leave for the shoot of the movie. When he discovered his leading lady had dropped out for another project, he set off to look for another one to take her place.

He happened to spot Ann Darrow, who was trying to steal some fruit, and got her out of the trouble with the shop-owner. He persuaded her to join him and his crew. She finally agreed after finding out that Jack Driscoll, who happened to be her favorite playwright, was writing the screenplay. So they boarded the ship, which managed to leave just before the police, obviously sent by Carl's furious bosses, caught up with them. Carl also tricked Driscoll into joining them so that he could finish writing the script. Both Ann and Jack were under the belief that they were all headed to singapore. It was only along the way that Carl revealed that they were headed to Skull Island.

The captain was not very pleased with the news. He had heard tales about a giant monster living on the island, which Carl refused to believe. So they continued their search for this island which the outside world knew nothing about. Along the way, Ann and Jack fell in love. The news that Carl was wanted back home for arrest put an end to the voyage. However, a storm caused the ship to end up on the island's location and trapped on the rocks.

Carl, Jack, Ann, and the film crew went ashore while the ship crew attempted to fix the ship. On the island, they were all attacked by the ferocious native tribe that lived there. A few people were killed, but the rest were recued by the captain and his crew. They fumbled back towards the ship with intentions to leave as soon as possible. But then, Ann was kidnapped by a native that had sneaked on board. Soon, she was tied up on the other side of the wall that separated the rest of the island from the natives. Ann's friends hurried over to help, but arrived just as soon as a giant ape was carrying her away.

King Kong and Ann bonded after some time. She even entertained him, and he saved her from wild dinosaurs. The rest of the crew, meanwhile, encountered all sorts of weird creatures. Some even lost their lives. When they finally met up with Ann, they knocked King Kong out with some chloroform and brought him back to New York City.

Back at New York, Carl put King Kong on a broadway stage in front of a large audiencee. However, he had to use another woman in Ann's place because she had apparently refused to appear onstage. King Kong, after finding out the 'Ann' tied up in front of him was a fake, broke free of his chains and went roaring out of the place into the city. And the rest is history.

Similarities (with the original)

THE WAY CARL AND ANN MET

Yes, it is exactly the same in both movies. Ann was sneaking some friut from the shop, and the shop owner got all mad and furious, and Carl stepped in by paying him and telling him to end this matter. Then, he took her away to persuade her to join the cast of his latest movie.

KING KONG CONQUERING THE DINOSAUR

Eew, the poweful way King Kong broke the dinosaur's jaws...they did it the same way. This dinosaur was a threat to Ann Darrow, and Kong came to the rescue. The two creatures fought ferociously for a long time. Then, King Kong stretched the dinosaur's mouth wide apart...stretched and stretched until it finally broke and the dinosaur died.

JACK RESCUING ANN FROM KING KONG

In both movies, Jack and Ann tried to escape from the clutches of King Kong by climbing a rope down a cliff. Ann was riding along on Jack's back. And he was making some progress going down, when King Kong rushed over and pulled the rope and therefore the couple back up with his mighty grip. And finally, Jack and Ann ended up losing hold of the rope and falling a long way to the water below.

LAST LINES

The same last lines were used in both movies. It was Carl Denham saying 'It wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast. The lines seemed quite siginificant to the movies. Ann as Beauty and King Kong as the Beast.

Differences

CARL DENHAM

In the old version, I don't remember any mention that he was in trouble with his bosses or the police. In fact, his voyage was talked about by most people in awe. Everyone knew he was a big director heading off to a big journey to film a documentary. But in the new one, he had to struggle to get people to take him seriously. And the big journey was planned and taken into action in a sneaky manner. He narrowly escaped the police. None of this farce was in the original version.

JACK DRISCOLL

Here is another character that was noticeably altered. In the old version, Jack Driscoll belonged to the ship crew; he was the captain. But here, he was the script-writer. He was a big name in the business. And he happened to be Ann Darrow's idol even before they personally met. Thankfully, he didn't display any of the sexist views the old Driscoll did.

KING KONG AND ANN

Now, I have to say, I really prefer the relationship between King Kong and Ann Darrow in the new version. Here you can see that Ann actually cared about King Kong. She definitely had some affections for the great ape. She realized that the ape was actually trying to look out for her back at the island. And at the city, they had a fun time playing in the snow before the hunt for King Kong began. And she actually cried when King Kong was killed. That was so sad. The old version seemed to be playing around with this thing called 'unrequitted love'. I mean, really, all Ann Darrow felt for King Kong in the old version was fear.

KING KONG'S CAPTURE

For some reason, they decided to replace gas bombs with bottles of chloroform in the new version. I don't really understand why. Gas bombs used in the original version did the job much easier. Here in the new one, several bottles of choloroform had to be used to knock King Kong out. In the process, a lot of people were hurt or killed.

My opinion

I think it is more apparent in the new version that the characters were living through great depression. For instance, we see homeless people begging on the streets. And the theatre Ann Darrow was working in was closed due to lack of money. She became unemployed in a flash. This movie showed her desperation. In the old one, the only clue we had that Ann Darrow was going through a rough patch was when she tried to steal some fruit. I suppose because the old one was actually made during the great depression era itself, the film makers did not see the need to add all these situations into the movie. Besides, if people of that time went in to see these movies to relieve their stresses, I don't think they would have wanted to be reminded of their daily troubles by seeing them displayed so heartbreakingly in movies, too.

The Manchurian Candidate(Old and New)

The first film, made in 1962, was set around the Korean War. During this time, a 'brainwashing' technique, similar to hypnosis, was developed by the Soviets. A patrol of U.S soldiers fighting in Korea, which included Major Bennett Marco and Sergeant Raymond Shaw, was kidnapped by the Soviets. After being taken to Manchuria, false memories were implanted into the soldiers' minds, whereas Raymond Shaw could be completely controlled by triggering his subconscious. Finally, when they were returned to the American forces, they had no memory of this experience.

Back in America, Marco and the rest of the group believed that Raymond Shaw saved all their lives in combat, and Shaw received Medal of Honor. Anyone that was in the platoon, when asked what they thought of Shaw, would answer in the same robot-like manner : "Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life. " But this was far from the truth, because he was actually hated back in the unit because of his coldness and arrogance.

Soon after, Marco began to have recurring nightmares about the time they were kidnapped. In his dream, he kept seeing two of his men being killed by Raymond Shaw. He felt really uneasy about this and tried to investigate, but the Army Intelligence he worked for urged him to forget about the whole thing. But however, he got his chance to solve the mystery with their support when he learned that another patrol member had been having the same nightmares and identified the same communist personnel.

As his investigation deepened, he learned that the communists planned to use Shaw as their special assasin who could obey their orders and would have no memory of what he had done. The subconscious trigger they used on him was the queen of diamonds in a deck of playing cards. Shaw's American controller was none other than his mother, who was working with the communists. She asked Shaw to assasinate the candidate for vice-president during his acceptance speech. She planned to push her husband (Shaw's stepfather) John Iselin as the new president.

Marco found a way to pull of all the plugs that triggered Shaw. Marco later thought he had failed, but Shaw indeed regained control of himself, killed his mother and stepfather and then himself at the party convention, thereby saving his country. He knew no one else could have stopped his mother, so he did it all by himself without Marco.

Now let me talk about the new version. The plots were very similar. A brain-washed candiate was still the center of the story. But the story had been somewhat modernized. Here, the brainwashing process was done by Manchurian Global, a large multinational corporation and government contractor. The aim was to expand corporate influence, and also government contracts for themselves. In the first film, Marco and his unit were kidnapped during the Korean war. In this one, they were captured during the first gulf war(1990-1991), and all brainwashed at a secret Manchurian facility. The brainwashing process itself had the more 'today' kind of look. Drilling brains, putting implants, weird metallic objects in the body? Definitely more scientific.

The big difference they made in this new movie was that Raymond Shaw himself was the Vice-president, and Marco was the assasin! And Eugenie Rose, in the old version, had no other purpose than to be Marco's sweetheart. But here, she was an FBI agent who was assigned to keep an eye on him. And Raymond Shaw's mother was not named Iselin, but Senator 'Eleanor Shaw'. But the similarity between the character from the old version was that they were both power-hungry and ruthless politicians.

Unlike the old version, the assassin (in this case) Marco was restrained before he could commit suicide. After he was re-conditioned, Marco helped locate the abandoned facility where he and his unit were brainwashed. Now this part, in the old version was never tackled, was it? Nobody questioned whether the communists would brainwash someone else.

And the reason for brainwashing was more clear in the new version. It was because the corporation wanted more influence on the government, so they used a brainwashed candidate who could be controlled according to their wills.

Characteristics

Main characters from both films were very patriotic, I think. In the first one, Shaw gave his life for his country. And he was a hero in Marco's book. He did the right thing just as soon as he was freed from the controls. In the new version, Marco, after his reconditioning, helped locate the brainwashing corporation. They would no longer have any control on the government.

My Thoughts

I prefer the original version, for some reason. It could have been Frank Sinatra, but I don't know. But really, both versions are really good. I had a great time watching them.

Objective, Burma!

This is my WWII movie. I've heard that what this movie presents is very similar to what actually happened. Anyway, this is the story. A group of commandos parachuted into a jungle in Burma. Their mission was to locate and blow up a Japanese radar station. The group's leader was Captain Nelson (played by Errol Flynn. Yeah! Finally, I get to see the great Errol Flynn.) Also coming along with them was an aging journalist named Williams, who was looking to present a realistic story of war to common people.

Their actual mission, which was to bomb the radar station, went extremely smooth and easy. But it was afterwards that their troubles began. When they got to their appointed place (an old air-strip) in order to be taken back to their base, they found out that the Japanese were hot on their trial. So Captain Nelson signalled a message by the radio to pick them up some days later at a different place instead. After that, he split the group into two units.

The group sans Captain Nelson met an ugly end; butchered in a deserted village. Captain Nelson took their name tags, had them buried, and went on. The remaining group finally made it to the meeting place. But there they got ambushed by the Japanese, forcing them to flee without even taking their supplies. Captain Nelson's radio was broken during this attack.

Soon, there was only one option left for Captain Nelson and his men. They had to make it to where the last plane told them to wait next. The jungle was swarming with enemies, and not only that, the men had no supplies. There was also the disease scare. Along the way, they saw a passing plane that they recognized to be one of theirs, but without the radio, the plane just passed by without noticing them while they yelled and waved their arms. But another time, they got lucky, because one plane recognized Captain Nelson's siganal sent out by his mirror. They sent down supplies.

Finally they arrived at the place. Now the question was would the men survive until they could be taken back. Tragically, at this time, the reporter Williams died, either from exhaustion or disease. They also had another suprise attack from the japanese. But this time, they were able to fight back. And in the end, they met up with some higher position soldiers who had also come into Burma. They were glad to see Nelson still alive and the entire group of commandos was honoured.

Characteristics

Lots of men leave their homes and families to join the army. During the time away from home, they were not always faithful to their women. I remember a part in that movie where the men were joking about women. One said his girlfriend sent him an angry letter demanding what this new girl of his had that she didn't. And he replied with "Nothing, honey. Only she has it here!"

Many, many soldiers died while doing what was important for the army. Bombing the radar stations was obviously extremely important. In this mission, a lot of lives were taken. Captain Nelson, at the end of the movie, held up the name tags of the people who had died and said, "But how many lives had to pay for it?"

The importance of leadership is another big part of this war movie. The people trusted their leader, and followed his every command. He was always the one making decisions and giving orders. The rest, while they may be a bit uncertain, were always won over by his reasoning. Nelson, on his part, was also following the orders of his leaders. For example, when the leaders asked him to go to a new meeting place, he, just like every one else, didn't like the idea much. But he made immediate moves towards the appointed place. Another questioned, "But when we get there, where will we be?" to which Nelson sharply responded "How about where we are told to be?"

My thoughts

There was a scene in the movie where the group ran into some Burmese. The guide/translater and the Burmese had a conversation, which of course, Captain Nelson and the others didn't understand a word of. But I have to say, neither do I! I really don't know what kind of Burmese they were speaking or if it was even really Burmese. But it was obviously not the standard Burmese. But that's weird... why would a foreigner want to learn a non-standard variety?

King Kong (1933)

The movie starts off with a very ambitious movie director named Carl Denham planning a sea voyage to the mysterious Skull Island. Carl Denham was also trying his best to find the perfect woman in order to make his adventurous picture more appealing to the public. When his companions disagreed with this saying it was way to dangerous for a woman, Carl set off to find the actress himself. Eventually, he ran into Ann Darrow. During their conversation, he promised her 'money, adventure, and fame', and she agreed to join the trip.

What Carl had in mind was to make a picture with the lengendary 50 ft giant Ape named Kong that was regarded as a God by the tribe that lived in the island. Along the way, a romance between Ann and the ship's captain, Jack Driscoll began to develop. Jack, in the beginning, was a self-proclaimed women-hater.

When they arrived at the island, they saw the tribe having a cermony in front of the a huge wall that was built in order to divide King Kong's territory from theirs. They were displeased to see the film crew, and later asked to trade Ann for six of their women as a bride for Kong. They were even more infuriated by the crew's refusal and ordered them to get out of the island. The crew, with a promise to return the next day, returned to the ship.

But the tribe members, during that very night, snatched Ann from the ship. She was put outside the wall as a bride for King Kong. Some of the crew, after finding Ann missing, rushed into the jungle in a search for her. But meanwhile, when Kong made his first appearance and discovered his present, it was love at first sight for the ape. Ann Darrow would spend most of the rest of the movie screaming her head off.

The crew encoutered one adventure after another. Dinosours, other weird creatures, and even King Kong. Only Jack and Carl were left alive. King Kong also got into fights with dinosaurs, big snakes, weird bird-like creatures, all of whom seemed to want Ann. But Jack managed to rescue Ann and they ran for their lives, closing the big wall behind them. But Kong was way too stronger than that, and soon the wall was broken down, and he was hot on their trails.

But the crew knocked him out with a few gas bombs. Carl decided to bring him along with them to New York City as the living proof of their adventures. There on stage, a chained King Kong awed the audience, while Carl proudly told their story with Ann and Jack on stage. But in the middle of all that, King Kong broke free and was roaring mad.

The next scenes had King Kong causing turmoil in the city. He overturned a train, snatched people out of their beds, and got an ever-screaming Ann back in his clutches. Soon, he was on top of the Empire State Building. Fighter planes were sent in order to bring him down. And finally, King Kong was shot down by the planes and fell off the building. At the end of the movie, Carl Denham remarked "it was beauty that killed the beast".

CHARACTERISTICS

During the great depression, I think people turned to this kind of horror film. People would like to watch these adventure/fantasy films to escape the worries of their world. I found out somewhere that the great depression was the reason the early 1930s were the cradle of classic horror movies. Yeah, and Hollywood was probably at its best with people looking for some release from their stressful lives.

The movie contained quite a few sexist attitudes. The character Jack Driscoll was annoying for me to watch, especially in the beginning. He made remarks like 'this is the first time I've sailed with a woman' and 'women can't help being nuisances. They're just born that way.' But the thing was that Ann Darrow didn't seem to mind this sort of attitude towards her as a woman. In fact she was trying to be the sweet little thing by saying things like 'Oh, I promise I won't be a bother'. Most of the men in the movie tried to unnecessarily overprotect women. Throughout the movie, I kept hearing comments like 'this ain't no place for a girl', 'it's too dangerous for a woman', and 'I don't think she should come with us until we know what's out there'. The exception from these men was Carl Denham, but then he was just acting out of his own self-interests.

The visual effects were obviously very very new during this period. It must have been quite impressive for the audience to watch at that time. But wow, watching it today, I found it incredibly funny-looking. None of the creatures looked real. Especially the dinosaurs. And they moved in an oddly stiff manner.

A River Runs Through It (Roaring Twenties)

I got this DVD and I was under the impression that it is a great depression movie until I watched it. Then I found out that it's actually a roaring twenties movie. But well, it's a really nice movie, and here I noticed some characteristics that I didn't find in my actual roaring twenties movie 'The Broadway Melody".

The movie focuses on two brothers growing up in Montana, following them from boyhood and adulthood. Norman and Paul were raised by their stern minister father on two main faiths, religion and fly-fishing. They were also home-schooled by him, learning only literature and writing. The father was very strict when it came to education and religion, but gave the boys plenty of freedom when it came to fly-fishing. The two brothers would roam around and explore nature.

Eventually, they grew up into wild and adventurous boys. But as they grew into adulthood, their lives began to go in different directions. Norman boarded a train to a college where he would spend years in earning a degree. However, Paul, whose life-passion was fishing, would never leave Motana and all the fish he hadn't yet caught, so he stayed behind and became a newspaper man.

Six or seven years later, after earning his degree, Norman returned to Montana. His father wanted to know immediately what he planned to do with the rest of his life, but Norman was still not quite certain even after having that many years to have thought about it. Now back in Montana, he discovered that his brother, during this times had developed some bad habits. He seemed addicted to gambling and drinking. The family seemed aware of his self-destructive habits but however never confronted him about it. They would act proud of their little important newspaperman, and when he left they would mutter to themselves sadly. And so, during Norman's absence, everything had changed. Fishing was the only way they still had in common, and that's how they would catch up on old times.

A short while after his return, Norman began seriously courting a local girl called Jessie Burns. And then he got a job offer to be a professor at a college in Chicago. He asked Jessie to marry and come with him. He went fishing for a last time with his father and Paul. They had a very pleasant time just like the old days and Norman sensed this would not last. His instincts turned out to be correct because shortly before he was supposed to go to Chicago, a police showed up and his door and gave him some bad news. Norman, in turn, had to break it to his parents that Paul was brutally murdered his angry creditors. His death affected all the family and they were never the same afterwards.

Finally, an old Norman, after most of all the loved ones in his life had died, was shown still engaging in the passion of the Macleans: fly-fishing at the Big Blackfoot river in Montana. He said that underneath the rocks of the river were words; the words of God, the words of his late family, and others'. His last words were 'I am haunted by waters.'

Characteristics

People would go to speakeasies. Alcohol was banned and supposed to be illegal. But from what I could see in the movie, that did little to stop people from drinking. They would just go over and drink their fill where there was no chance the police would find them.

Gambling also appeared to be quite prominent. Somehow, it was a great source of entertainment it was very addictive. And once you engaged in it, there was no turning back. And once your debts mounted up, you were in big trouble. Like Paul Maclean, he gradually dug himself into a deep hole he couldn't get out of.

But people were fiercely independent. Again, Paul Maclean was a perfect example. He knew he was in deep trouble, and yet he simply refused to accept any help from his older brother. As he told Norman, "Listen, it's my debt, ok? My debt." He was determined not accept any money, help, or advice.

Woman bobbed their hair, drank alcohol, and were really defiant. They were also very daring, at times, even more than men. There was a part in the movie where Jessie Burns took a dangerous detour by driving her car right through the dark tunnel of a railroad track (and later on the railroad tracks), when there was a high risk that a train might come without any warning or signal. Norman looked really scared and incredulous, but Jess was clearly enjoying herself.

Ma Barker's Killer Brood

This movie is based on a true story about a really tough woman named Katherine 'Ma' Barker. During the great depression, she was unsatisfied with her decent and honest husband's pathetic earnings, so she taught her four sons to become thieves and steal around their neighbourhood. She taught them to be 'tough', and not 'sissies'. Her major advice to them was 'never get caught.'When their horrified father tried to stop their activities, Ma Barker kicked him right out. Soon, afterwards, Ma Barker and her sons were made to leave town due to the mounting suspicions of theft.

As time went on, the boys grew and so did their illegal activities. They were no longer mischievous little kids stealing things with their nimble fingers when people were not looking. They were full-grown man carrying out a robbery carefully plotted(and co-operated) by their gangster mother, ivolving gunshots and running people over with their cars. They were vicious killers, and the only one in the gang who seemed upset by what they were doing was the son called Herman, who seemed to be the weak-minded one in there. But he dared not object to his tough mother, and he tagged along unwillingly.

Soon Ma Barker and her brood turned to kidnapping. They kidnapped a banker and demanded for a ransom. After this, the FBI was hot on their trial based on the limited information the banker had supplied (he was blindfolded the entire time of the kidnapping). The Barker brood occasionally changed their appearance to decieve people around, even turning to plastic surgery.

But a while after, son Doc Barker was trailed and caught by the FBI while away from the Florida hideout they resided in. And soon, the FBI agents were surrounding the hideout, ordering Ma Barker and her son Lloyd to come out. Ma Barker was determined to put out a fight, but her son was all into surrendering. Ma Barker of course forced him to pick up his gun and not be such a coward. The son was shot down by the agents. Ma Barker, roaring her revenge, bravely stepped out of the house and shot at everything within her gun's reach until she took some gunshots to her chest and died.

Characteristics

The financial difficulties turned some people very tough. They no longer had any time for thinking about morals. They were willing to do just about anything just to feel money in their hands. Honest folks may bow their heads meekly and say, 'These are tough times. We are in great depression. But things might take a turn for the better.' But some determined people would say 'Only the strong survive. We are fighting to get what we need.'

A proper education didn't mean anything anymore. There was Mr. Barker, who was proud of the fact that he had a good education, and his wife Ma Barker snorted, "And what is your great education getting you? You're weak and useless!"

Family was considered a top priority. Even in the case of vicious criminals. The Barker gang was a family who would never betray one another. The boys respected and loved their mother and followed her every advice. She on her part, if not the typical caring mother, always looked out for them and was convinced she was doing it for her son's well-being. And also, the brother called Herman was unhappy with life as a criminal, but he would never desert his family.

My Opinion

I love this movie! A gang led by a woman! So this definitely appeals to a feminist like me. I admire strong women, so I definitely like Ma Barker even though she's supposed to be a public enemy. She had more guts than all her four sons put together. Oh, by the way, Ajarn, is Ma Barker perhaps the subject in Boney M's hit "Ma Baker"? I've been re-listening to the lyrics of that song, and I think the stories the song and the movie tell are really similar.

Waylon Jennings (Country)

Waylon Jennings was born on June 15, 1937, in Littlefield, Texas. At just eight years old, he taught himself how to play guitar. His first band was formed two years later. He dropped out of High School in order to pursue a music career, and worked as a DJ throughout his teenage years. In 21, he joined a band of his friend Buddy Holly, where he played bass. However, Buddy Holly along with some other performers were killed off in a airplane crash on the way to a tour. Waylon would have met the same fate, if he hadn't switched seats with J.P Richardson who was feeling unwell, and took the tour bus. And so the incident left him feeling horribly guilty.

After some years in which he was inactive in music, Waylon started performing in Phoenix, Arizona. He then signed a contract with A&M Records. The hit singles he had on local radio in phoenix included 'Four Strong Winds' and 'Just to Satisfy You'. Then Waylon was recommended to producer Chet Atkins, who signed him to RCA Victor. So, in 1965, Waylon moved to Nashvilled, Tennessee.

At Nashville, after releasing a number of albums and singles, Waylon felt unsatisfied by the lack of artistic freedom. He also became addicted to amphetamines. And his second marriage ended in a divorce that left the already broke Waylon with mountains of debt. His next wife tried to bring his financial matters under control, but that marriage ended in divorce as well. He got married for the last time to a country singer Jessi Colter in 1969.

During these hard times, Waylon even considered retiring from music. But then he found a business manager, Neil Reshen, to renegotiate his touring and recording contracts. Now he acheived a near-complete artistic control. He profited from his tourings and had a rock star recording contract. Albums that were released included 'Ladies Love Outlaws', 'Lonesome', and 'Dreaming My Dreams'.

Also at the time, Waylon became addicted to cocaine. He spent thousands of dollars each day on it. And as a result, he became less focused on his work and his finances suffered once again. He was arrested in 1977 for cocaine pocession, but the charges were later dropped.

He decided to clean up his addictions, and later the birth of his son, Shooter was his inspiration to permanently stay off cocaine. He remained cocaine-free and toured throughout the 80s and 90s.

On February 13, 2002, he died in his sleep at the age of 64. The cause of his death was diabetic complications.

SONGS

T IS FOR TEXAS

Well, 'T' for Texas, 'T' for Tennessee

I said "'T' for Texas, another 'T' for Tennessee"

'T' for that no good woman... no good gal that made a wreck of me

I'd rather drink myself muddy water, sleep all night in a 'holler' logI'd rather drink muddy water, sleep all day and night in a 'holler' logThan to hang around Atlanta... be put down and treated like a dirty dog

If you don't want me, woman, just say so, that's allIf you don't want me, woman, all you gotta do is come around and say so, that's all'Cos I can get myself more women than any two men or a passenger train can haul

Well, 'T' for Texas, 'T' for TennesseeI said "'T' for Texas, another 'T' for Tennessee"'T' for Thelma... no good gal that made a wreck of me

Well, this is a pretty cool song, in my opinion. I love the melody and also the lyrics as well. So he's singing about his three 'T's. Okay, I understand that one 'T' stand for this woman who treated him so mean, but I'm a little confused about the two other 'T's. What does this song mean to say about Texas and Tennesse? So, it's also a little mysterious for me. So I really like this song.

ARE YOU READY FOR THE COUNTRY

Slippin' & a-slidin', playin' Dominos Leftin' & a-rightin' ain't a crime, you know Well, I gotta tell the story before it's time to go

Are you ready for the country? Are you ready for me? Are you ready for the country? Ain't that a sight to see?

Talkin' to a preacher, said God was on his side Talkin' to a butcher, they both were sellin' hide Well, I gotta tell the story, boys, I don't know the reason why

Are you ready for the country? Are you ready for me? Better get ready for the country Ready for me

Are you ready for the country? Ready for me? Are you ready for the country? Ain't that a sight to see?

This is another one of my favorite from Waylon Jennings. Hearing this song makes me feel so ready for the country. The lyrics are also pretty intriguing, what with God and butchers. This is a really great song.